Is it possible to implement weight sensing to the heated bed?
Hey there!
I just had this crazy idea of implementing weight sensing capability to the heated bed. The point is to calibrate the extruded plastic amount according to the data acquired by the weight measurement on the go. Therefore, it might be useful to avoid under/over extruding and also countermeasure moist filament issues?
Implementing this would be a bit challenging because there may not be enough room in the current model but what do you guys think about this? I think it could be both beneficial and doable for a Prusa MK4 maybe? Hoping to get some thoughts about this.
RE: Is it possible to implement weight sensing to the heated bed?
Simple answer is yes; real answer: not practical for many many reasons. First of which is acceleration will distort the mass measurements.
RE: Is it possible to implement weight sensing to the heated bed?
In practice, it will probably not be particularly useful.
As @tim-m30 mentions, distortion will occur when measuring when the heatbed is moving due to acceleration. The weight sensors must be very precise and still provide a rigid heat bed construction.
Temperature (heatbed) and air flows around the heatbed must be taken into account.
Attempts have previously been made to use pressure sensors to Mesh Bed Leveling, typically on printers where the heat bed is stationary.
Have a look at my models on Printables.com 😉